Friendship

Having reached this exciting my time of life I've realised what's really important to me. For me it's my family and especially my friends. I love my kids and my grandchildren to bits. They are part of the very fabric of my life, they are part of me and who I am however, I am well aware that they all have their own lives and need to live them without me always hanging on their shirt tails all the time.

Perhaps because I am a widow it's my friends who enrich my life so much; who I share those special moments with, like last evening as we remembered our friend, Alan; who I know I can call on when needed or to just chew the fat with, put the world to rights or relax with over a leisurely dinner. My Te Aroha friends are particularly special  to me not only because we live close and I naturally see more of them but because they made coming to live here truly worthwhile.

Yesterday I took a lovely artist friend out for lunch and we shared a few hours catching up, as we shared our feelings on life, how far we had come and so on and for her that was particularly pertinent as she had had a stroke some while ago and was having to deal with the ongoing repercussions. Her amazingly positive attitude to her stoke is inspiring and our friendship means a great deal to both of us. We have such fun even when life isn't that funny sometimes but laughter certainly is the best medicine and the only side effect is that you feel so much better.

For me, laughter is certainly one of the most beautiful aspects of a good and lasting friendship. No matter how dark things are, how tired or down I feel, just being with my special friends either in person, on the phone or even via email or txt you can make one another laugh and lift each other's spirits. My lovely friends Colin and Gabrielle never fail to get me laughing or playing the fool and we have been doing that ever since we met all those years ago.


Laughter was a natural part of the ceremony we held last night for our friend and I always encourage it in any ceremony I take because not matter what, we all need humour, we all need laughter to live don't we?

Today I met the charming couple from England who have come over to get married here and I will be taking their Marriage Ceremony tomorrow. Today was the first time we have actually met yet I felt I already knew them as we have built up a real rapport via email over the past months. Having come from the UK, I mentioned that I had lived in the little village of Appledore in Kent  over forty years ago before coming to New Zealand and  would you believe it they lived in Woodchurch which is the next village. It truly is a small world.

True friendship last a life time. My school friend Kathy and I hadn't seen each other for over twenty one years yet when we met again in no time at all it was as though we had never been apart. Friendships come in many guises, some come and go, some remain forever yet each one touches our lives for what ever reasons and we are the better for it. Yet only a one or two touch our inner most soul and then we know we have found the truest meaning of  friendship and that is love of course. Such a love completes us as nothing else can for such a love never dies.

‘Keep Love in your heart

A life without it is like a sunless garden

when all the flowers are dead 

The consciousness of loving and being loved

brings a warmth and richness to life

that nothing else can bring.’

Oscar Wilde